A COUPLE who scooped a whopping £2.7million lotto win have opened up about the thousands they’ve lost on a big gamble.
Elaine and Derek Thompson landed the jackpot in 1995 and have poured their winnings into their true passion – horse racing.
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It’s a love that’s seen them visit every racecourse in the country and invest in three horses.
But it hasn’t always paid off – and Elaine is still stacking shelves at M&S.
After winning big almost three decades ago, the racing-obsessed couple poured their money into their first horse.
But, it quickly adopted the not-so-lucky nickname of Sick Note because it landed a cough before each race meeting and never won.
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However, Elaine and Derek didn’t give up, and invested money in another horse named Richmond Lady – which won one race at Exeter racecourse.
The mum-of-two said: “Owning race horses is a pretty pricey business, there are a lot of costs involved.
“One horse, a beautiful grey named Balfour Lady, needed a lot of shoes – I would say she had more shoes than Imelda Marcos whilst we owned her.
“It was lots of fun but we eventually decided it was probably best to focus on punters and stick to our placepots.”
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This week the couple finally reached their goal of visiting all 59 race courses in the country.
Derek said: “We have always loved horse racing, it’s such a great atmosphere and over the years I have learned which trainers to follow.
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“We decided after our National Lottery win to travel the UK and visit every race course in the country. Originally there were 61 but two have closed down over the years.
“Ludlow is our 59th and final race course, we have definitely saved a lovely course for last.”
And while the couple have been heading along to race meets, Elaine has kept working at M&S.
The 64-year-old still works 25-hour weeks, starting at 2am and says people probably think she’s “bonkers”.
She said: “I have a job because I can’t stay in the house, it would drive me nuts.
“I’ve worked all my life.
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“And it’s important for my children to see hard work reaps benefits.”
Elaine added: “Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought this is how my life would end up.”
Four People Who Won Big & Lost It All
Mark is not the first lottery winner to have suffered huge downfalls after hitting the jackpot…
Callie Rogers
- She became Britain’s youngest lottery winner when she won £1.9million in 2003.
- Eighteen years after her win, Callie was found to be claiming Universal Credit after blowing her fortune. The revelation came during a trial after she was involved in a car crash while on cocaine in December 2020.
Michael Carroll
- The self-styled ‘King of Chavs’ was 19 when he scooped £9,736,131 on the National Lottery in November 2002.
- Carroll’s wife, Sandra, left him just a month after their wedding in 2003 after being appalled by his incessant partying, accusing him of cheating on her with sex workers.
- He also racked up an ASBO for terrorising his neighbours and spent time in jail for affray and failing to comply with a drug treatment order.
- By February 2010 Michael was declared bankrupt and was claiming Jobseeker’s Allowance.
- He lost his entire fortune and was found working for £10 an hour chopping wood and delivering coal in 2019.
Gillian and Adrian Bayford
- The couple’s lives changed in 2012 when they scooped a staggering £148million.
- But just 15 months after the win, their eight-year marriage ended with both parties partly blaming stress on their mind-boggling win.
- Gillian is now with fraudster Brian Deans, who was jailed for six months in 2012 after he stole £13,500 in fake refunds from Tesco.
Margaret Loughrey
- She scooped £27m in 2013 and became Northern Ireland’s biggest winner at the time.
- Tragically, in September 2021, Margaret, by now in her 50s, was found dead in her home.
